One of Taiwan’s main attractions is the Taroko Gorge, a mere 20/30 km scenic drive through a beautiful valley of marble rocks along a small, turquoise river.
I did not plan to rent a scooter so early on the trip, but when I arrived at my hostel in Hualien and talked about getting the bus to the Taroko Gorge my host was suggesting to enjoy the gorge with my own vehicle. Since I love scooters and I think you cannot say you have been in Asia without at least once being on one I happily took her advice.
The scooter I rented was nothing you would get in Germany. It went from 0 to 50 in a second and it easily passed the 92 km/h and kept going faster (a friend of a friend told me, mom). The gas also lasts for at least going up and down the gorge twice and with a litre of gas being slightly cheaper than one Euro it costs about three Euros when at the gas station. It takes about 30 minutes from Hualien to the Taroko Gorge Visitor Centre.
I spent the entire day driving around the gorge, enjoying the scenery and hike hopping along the way. Most hikes are easily accessible and don’t take longer than an hour or two return. They are more of a better stroll along some scenic pathways and highly frequented by people of all ages. If you like hotsprings, take your swimsuit along and go all the way up to the Wenshan Hotsprings to join the locals and tourists for a bath.
I was almost about to hike along a more difficult hike through the forest, but while I was debating if that was really such a good idea (it was not) I noticed some noises around and looked up. That’s when I realised a group of monkeys up in the tree crowns surrounded me and they didn’t seem to happy about me passing their territory. Luckily I didn’t have any food in my backpack, but still did not want to face a bunch of angry monkeys on my own (and yes, they can be very scary, as I remember from Malaysia). Given that it was already getting late and I thought about other possible animals on the way I decided to scooter along the gorge a little more instead.
A slight detour took me to a little temple with a nice view over the valley at sunset, before it was time to head back to the hostel.
Renting a Scooter in Hualien
Cost: There are a lot of shops at the front of the train station. I went to the one right next to the Avis station and paid 500 TWD. Close the rear entrance of the station is a rental place that rents them out for 400 TWD. Exit at the rear end of the train station and turn left.
It is no problem to return the scooter a few hours or a day later. They will charge you per hour for up to six hours, after which they will charge you an extra day.
Gas: I drove roughly 200 km and paid around five Euro in total.
